Foot.ie Talks To... Damien Richardson

[A face]

How far is an EL club is from qualifying for the group stages of the UEFA cup or CL?

Not far at all. If all parties concerned nurture the culture of full time football in a professional manner, I can see qualification occurring in the next three years. The aforementioned professional manner would need to include a serious sign of intent to dismantle the ethos of self-interest that still binds the testicles of Irish professional football.

Pat Fenlon recently suggested getting someone who has been involved in the league in to run the league, citing Rico as an ideal candidate. Would you like the job Damien?

It is an amazing fact, but there are too few football people involved in football. What that means is that the vast majority of professional footballers, who would have spent many years developing an innate instinct for the game, rarely get involved in the administration of the game. And it also has to be stated that those administering the game would appear to welcome and prefer this anomaly. It is my honest opinion that the time is right to encourage intelligent and articulate ex-players to become part of officialdom. It just makes sense. And I would be willing to participate in any plan that would benefit the game we all love.

As we seem to be going no where under the current regieme, Should the league break away from the FAI and set up on it's own ?

I would not entirely agree that we are going nowhere. Welcome strides have been taken and the eL is showing the benefits. At one time I would have backed a breakaway but in the present climate I would now prefer to wait and see. That is not procrastination on my part but rather a willingness to allow John Delaney and the FAI an opportunity to organise themselves before hopefully impressing all with their plan for the future. However, setting up a good administration team is as difficult as setting up a good football team. It takes talent, time and patience. And although the past record is decidedly unimpressive, I believe that the present time is perhaps the most conducive ever for progress.

Considering the vast majority complain about the standard of refereeing, would you agree that an inititive should be set up to encourage ex players to take up refereeing once they stop playing and offer a "quick" route to top league officiating if they prove themselves competant in lower leagues?

During the three years I have been away from management I have studied many aspects of the game. I have, probably the first time, begun to understand the enormous challenges and difficulties that lie at the heart of the game of football. Refereeing is undoubtedly one of the great challenges. The undeniable truth that desire and passion cloud the judgement of even the most fair-minded individual decrees that referees’ are in a no-win situation on most occasions. The answer to your question is yes. Just as in Q 2, I would like to see more ex-players involved. They would however, have to prove themselves in many ways. For example, their affection, or animosity, for previous clubs may be a stumbling block to this proposal. Again I would like to see some consideration afforded to this train of thought.

Why did the tash go?

The realisation that the “Tash” made me far too handsome for my own good offered me only two viable options. I could retain the facial ornamentation, and the adorability it provoked amongst the female species, or. I could remove the hysteria-inducing objet d’art and allow the younger generation an unimpeded tryst with the fairer sex. As a spiritually mature individual I have long since divested myself of ego and the consequence of this state of almost permanent inner peace obviously meant that the “Tash” belonged to a different era in my life. I hope my sincerity does full justice to the profundity of your inquiry.

Is Noel King an idiot in real life or does he just put it on for tv?

Noel King is indeed an idiot. But he is such a good actor I was convinced he covered the fact well. But Kinger is honest. He will proffer an opinion and accept the full ramifications of the consequences (of course he will not fully understand the implication of ramifications, if you know what I mean). Noel and I disagree most of the time and argue sometimes. But there is never a falling out. If only he could get his flamboyant neckwear to defy gravity and cover his fractured features he would do very well on TV. As you may have guessed I like working with Noel. I must be even more spiritual than I thought.

Do you intend managing again?

I think so. But it depends on the challenge. These are exciting days in the eL. I have been a firm advocate of full-time, Summer football in a 10-team League format. It’s the story of my life that when that triumvirate comes together being I am out of the game. I miss the buzz of the dressingroom and the action on the training ground. In truth I probably miss the coaching more than anything. But life is full and I have no complaints.

Who is the best player you ever had?

I have been most fortunate in working with many talented players. In Cork there was Dave Barry. Pat Morley, John Caulfield, Tommy Gaynor amongst many others. If the Chairman at Cork City had accepted my proposals during the mid 90’s I am sure City would have achieved much success such was the depth of talent. At Shelbourne I had Mick Neville, Gary Howlett and Stephen Geoghegan again amongst such talent that led to 3 successive FAI Cup Finals and 4th,3th and 2nd League positions and would have led to much more. At Shamrock Rovers I had many superb players who, like myself suffered much from the well-publicised problems that unfortunately are still ongoing.
But if I had to select the best it would be Pat Skully, as the most professional player. Skully’s powers of concentration were immense and his demands on himself and those around him were legendary. Tony Sheridan was the most talented individual I have ever worked with. He could do things with the ball that were quite extraordinary and he possessed a great understanding of the game. The most under rated player was John O’Rourke. The Cobh born player was brilliant in both boxes at Shelbourne, scoring and preventing goals with very little fuss or attention.

Best/worst results & clubs you were involved with?

Worst was the 6-4 loss to Bohs after being 4-1 ahead at half time with Rovers. Santry Stadium was such a small pitch it was impossible to close a game down. I hated that place. Best result was oddly enough also a defeat. Cork City lost 2-1 to Galatasaray in Istanbul. The whole occasion was quite amazing. When Gala went two up the home fans produced great profusions of noise and colour. Buy when Dave Barry scored our late goal the silence was almost explosive in its intensity. Best club was Shelbourne for sheer professionalism and ambition. Rovers as I mentioned, were a mere shadow of their former greatness. Cork City were good on the park and lethargic off it.

Will an eL player be capped again anytime soon?

Glen Crowe and Jason Byrne are the best strikers in the land. If they cannot gain re-entry it may take another few years before someone else makes it.

Your fav ground?

In Ireland Milltown, the old home of Rovers, was special. Flower Lodge in Cork had a lovely playing surface while Tolka Park has a terrific atmosphere if you had 6 or 7000 people there. In England Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday is a natural amphitheatre and creates an atmosphere that has to be experienced to be fully understood. But the best without doubt was Galatasaray’s Ali Sami Yen Stadium. When we got there an hour and a half before kick off the place was packed, the atmosphere positively hostile and the beating drums warlike. The noise on entering the pitch reached a crescendo but when they scored the first goal it sounded like an earthquake had hit Istanbul. I said at the time that it was worth conceding just to experience the outpouring of sheer joy on such a massive scale.

Why werent there more Cork players on the various eL teams of the year?

Managers have different philosophies on football. I believe in building a team on the merits of each individual player. I attempt to maximise the potential of each individual and let the team evolve from that base. I think Pat Dolan makes the team his priority from the very beginning. Consequently his emphasis is on the team over the individual. This can make for a good team but individual players can lose their identity by merging into the team personality. It is a matter of opinion which philosophy is best. But my opinion is that people like George O’Callaghan , John O’Flynn and Billy Woods and others would gain more success and national recognition by fulfilling their individual potential on the way to creating a successful team.

[A face]

Do you have a 'real' job away from football?

I have rarely had a real job. At the moment I am a consultant for a couple of companies and I am setting up a Goalkeepers Coaching Scheme and I hope I will be able to incorporate Centre Forward Coaching in the plan. In the past whenever I was out of football I went into Sales and usually made more money than I did from football.

Do you think the Setanta Cup should be expanded to include more clubs?

and

If it succeeds, do you think league officials should start working towards an All-Ireland League?

I think the Setanta Cup should have included some Scottish clubs. With Celtic and Rangers out of Europe, the prize money could have been increased to attract them and two other clubs from Scotland. Even without Celtic and Rangers the addition of the likes of Kilmarnock and Hibernians would have added greatly to the attraction of this very welcome competition. When Celtic and Rangers do eventually join the Premiership it would leave a golden opportunity for an Irish and Scottish League, to include teams from Northern and Southern Ireland. This League would be full-time and consist of 18 teams. There could be a second division or perhaps the domestic Leagues would have one automatic promotion spot for each country. Something of this nature would prompt a much wider coverage from the media in each country and especially TV.

Can you ever see yourself re-joining Rovers in some capacity, possibly as Director of Football?

A rejuvenated Shamrock Rovers would do wonders for the eircom League. With a proper and professional footing in place it would be an enormous attraction for any person. But with my past experience there as player and manager I can see the point of your question. I find it quite perplexing that there are so few Directors of Football in Ireland. To me it would be a very natural progression to have somebody with genuine coaching and managerial experience in full-time football to sit in and advise Directors and Coaching Staff on various matters relating to football.

If you could change one thing about the eL, what would it be?

and

What is the most urgent change neded in the eL?

I would like to see a Public Relations and Media Officer appointed. Someone of knowledge and consequence to encourage Sports Editors in Radio, Television and Newspapers to increase their coverage of eircom League. This would not be an easy job but if the same person worked with clubs to help them raise their profiles and create daily newsworthy items that would attract more column inches this would do wonders for all of us who follow the domestic game.

Who do you think will get promoted and relegated this season?

I was not in favour of increasing the Premier Division to 12 clubs. I believe that another season, or even two, of a 10-team Division would have been very beneficial to the overall standard. There are still not enough players of quality to sustain a 12-team League of distinction. Having said that things are as they are but I think that the promoted teams will find it difficult to come to terms with the improvements that have taken place in the Premier Division over the past couple of years. UCD and Bray Wanderers are my predictions for the drop. Dublin City are spending money and with Dermot Keely at the helm should regain their Premier spot.

What are your views on the licencing fiasco?

I love it. For far too long League of Ireland clubs have been lazy and unwilling to extend themselves past the point of comfort. Now UEFA, through the License
Scheme, are forcing them past the point of necessity and propelling them into the future. While some clubs may struggle to come to terms with the requirements, the more vibrant clubs will force their way in. In many ways the same criteria from the last question applies. Modernisation on and off the park is the key to a brighter future for all.

I am fed up with quotations from Managers/ Players/Pundits which show a scant knowledge of the laws of the game.
To the best of your knowledge, do many of the people involved in the game actually know the rules?

and

Do you think it would be a good idea that everyone(or at least the Managers/coaching staff) should have to complete a basic referees beginners course to gain an understanding of the laws?

Knowledge of the Laws of the Game is a bit like the appreciation of beauty,“It is in the eye of the beholder”. Managers and players and usually only see what they want to see. I believe however that most have a good understanding of the Laws. But you are correct, there are many who could do with an upgrading in that knowledge. When I played in England we had Referees visit the club to liase with players. Also when I played for Gillingham I worked in the afternoons for five years as a Coach in schools in London and Kent. I refereed hundreds of School and College games and the experience was invaluable. It is not true however, that I also refereed many eL games from the sidelines when I was a manager. I think it would be a wonderful asset if every manager and his staff underwent a beginner’s course in refereeing. However, I also think that it would be equally productive if some managers and their staff underwent media and specialised football coaching courses.

As a result of being out of management for so long, do you think that a club would be unwilling to appoint ye as their manager?

There is the tendency on the part of some in football to think that someone out of the game for a couple of years could be past their sell-by date. To be honest this does not bother me because I would not work with someone with a mindset like that anyway. I am very particular whom I work with. My father always counselled me never to educate Directors because a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

[A face]

With the league/clubs after exhausting the "sit on our hands" approach with the National Broadcaster when trying to get them to show eL/domestic games, what should be the next step ?

I am waiting with eager anticipation the intentions of RTE in the aftermath of their new agreement with the FAI. The plans for the eircom League are due to be disclosed soon. In truth there are people in RTE who are great fans of the eL. But the leadership has been less than enthusiastic in the past. For their part TV3 have taken up the baton and done a good job but again it’s the bosses upstairs who make the decisions. See questions 17 & 18 and understand that it is not just up to RTE or TV3 to decide the future of broadcasting our game. We all have a part to play. I also think that Setanta will add some sparkle to the scene.

What do you think of John Delaney as the head man in the FAI ? Do you think he will/could be able to do as much as Fran Rooney did ?

Without disrespecting the question, in many ways it does not matter one iota what I think. He is there and I hope he is very successful. He has a tradition in League of Ireland and I am hopeful that that means something. I wish him well and if he turned out to be better than his predecessors, then we would all celebrate.

With the football system in this country as fragmented as it is, i.e. junior, intermediate and senior teams all pulling in different directions (it appears that way anyway) do you ever see the day where they would all compromise and work in unison to improve the standard/conditions/facilities/funding of football in this country ?

Fragmentation is a national pastime in Ireland. The country loves separating itself into sections and resisting unity. So why should football be any different. Do you know any Irish organisation that would willingly compromise? However, perhaps the UEFA directive allied to the need for grants from the same body and to a lesser extent the Government, might force us into a huddle. But you know what happens when Irishmen get into a huddle. At least one of them ends up on the deck. Don’t hold your breath!

Do you think that a National Football Magazine would be a good tool to voice opinion, provide information, illustrate and highlight policies throughout the footballing country and what would you like to see in it if there was one ?

I think a National Football Magazine would be a great idea. Problem would be sales figures. I would like to see in it some in-depth coverage of Irish football. Not the wishy-washy type of sanitised journalism that football fans are subjected to from most sections of the Irish media. There is a dearth of informed opinion and a lack of courage and/or interest in large sections of the football reporting community.

What do you think of TV3s attitude towards Irish sport ?

TV3 sports department has a huge interest in Irish sport, and especially football. Most of the lads there support eL clubs and they have a football team that has played RTE, The Star and other media teams. Given a free rein they would cover live games and put The eircom Show on earlier on a Monday evening. For the record RTE are very similar. Refer to earlier questions.

What do you think of the Minister for Sports attitude towards Irish sport ?

Who is the Minister for Sport?

Why do you think there is so much apathy towards domestic football in Dublin/Ireland ?

Tradition and Television. Ireland is a country of great contradiction. England is our great strength and our greatest weakness. English football is damn good and always has been. But TV has made it appear even better that it actually is. And TV still dictates in almost every home in the country. Unfortunately domestic football lost its way for a couple of decades and consequently lost its sex appeal to TV. But the circle is turning and my replies to some previous questions hopefully make sense here too.

Why do you constantly put down Longford Town FC on eL weekly ?

eL clubs have never had a TV programme that offered an in-depth look at the games. Moat people bemoaned this fact ad nauseam. So what happens when TV3’s eircom League Show offers criticism? It gets criticised. I have been in professional football all my working life. I accept criticism as part of the landscape. You would be surprised at the amount of people in the eL who have paper mache skin. But that’s their problem.
Longford Town FC is probably the perfect illustration of where Irish pro. football actually is. They have made extremely impressive progress in a short period of time. Stephen Kenny performed wonders taking Town from Div 1 to Europe and recent ground developments have made Flancare Park a super venue. 2 FAI Cup wins under Alan Matthews have brought much attention to the club and things are really good. Or are they? In any business reality has to be accepted. I have pointed out regularly that a team that can win 3 Cup in two years must possess great talent. From a professional viewpoint that talented, and expensive, combination of management and players cannot be allowed to perform only when in the mood. A truly professional club has a manager and team that plays to its potential week in week out. One only has to peruse the league table to see that Longford have not done this. On TV3 it is my responsibility to point out matters of this nature. However, certain people at Longford Town seem to have taken this personally. So much so that one individual put out a rumour that I viciously maligned their last Cup win, an accusation that I guarantee you is a complete and utter fabrication. But again that’s their problem. The essential point I am making is that if a top professional football club can accept praise for its successes but get indignant and whinge at criticism, there is a serious need for maturity. Maturity, like leadership, comes from the top. The Chairman sets the tone for the club. The manager sets the standard for the players. Let me finish this questionnaire by asking a question. If there were an experienced Director of Football at Longford Town, would this problem have been addressed a long time ago? You know my answer!




Damien Richardson



---------------------------------------------

Leave you opinions and thoughts lads, just to get some feed back on this.

[James]

nice one aface & rico
good job done there
some very interesting answers & and an enjoyable read

[Longfordian]

Interesting thoughts on 'why he puts down ltfc' but as regards this 'totally unfounded' rumour he should have a word with a very prominent FAI official, probably the most prominent who overheard him saying 'the f*cking c**ts have won it again' (his words not mine)..Don't really care what he thinks anyway, nor does anyone within Longford Town, himself and Alan Mathews have a personal dislike of each other which would explain a bit

[pete]

What is the most urgent change neded in the eL?

I would like to see a Public Relations and Media Officer appointed.

Interestingly i thought the eL already had someone doing that?

Some classic commenst about Noel King

How Rico doesn't have a newspaper colum i'll never know...when have Dolan & Keely instead

[eoinh]

How far is an EL club is from qualifying for the group stages of the UEFA cup or CL?

Not far at all. If all parties concerned nurture the culture of full time football in a professional manner, I can see qualification occurring in the next three years. The aforementioned professional manner would need to include a serious sign of intent to dismantle the ethos of self-interest that still binds the testicles of Irish professional football.

[

That still binds the testicles of Irish Professional Football. Lets all hope we can get our testicles unbound.

[A face]

How Rico doesn't have a newspaper colum i'll never know...when have Dolan & Keely instead

He does .... Inside Cork weekly paper, it is a great column. Very fair and objective. That is one of the few columns that i look forward to reading.

[Slash/ED]

Rico is superb, quality answers and I agree with pretty much everything he's said there. Fair play to you A Face for being able to put this all together too.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Rico is superb, quality answers and I agree with pretty much everything he's said there. Fair play to you A Face for being able to put this all together too.

I have known Damien Richardson for many years, even though he has never managed the team I support. The Artist Also Known as Rico has always been willing to discuss issues with fans and remains so.

[dahamsta]

Completely missed this, thanks to Damien Richardson for talking to us and Face for doing the interview. Who's next?

(Split from the questions thread.)

adam

[town73]

Completely missed this, thanks to Damien Richardson for talking to us and Face for doing the interview. Who's next?

adam

suggest Eoin Hand.

[EireBadBoy]

Great read, when I saw the 'testicles' bit I wondered was it a ****-take but it obviously was'nt considering the Riocism's fired in afterwards.

Good work and thanks to Rico.

Eoin Hand sound's a good candidate for the next one or how about Noel King to respond to the remarks made about him?? Just a thought.

[tallaghtfornia]

Rico is a pure legend!!!!
his programme notes when he was at rovers were priceless.
the best one of all had to be when he opened his notes with "its always the same sometimes", this became a hoops song for the rest of that season.
tried his best to get rovers full time and in tallaght and we would take him back tomorrow!!!

[conboy]

Very interesting a real insiders view. Made and honest impression, well done to Damien and Footie.ie.

[Troy.McClure]

Nice one Rico and Aface, that was quality

(but I cant believe that he answered my questions about the tash and Kinger! ledgend )

[tiktok]

A Face/ Rico.
Excellent Stuff. Well impressed with that

[NY Hoop]

Super stuff. The man is a legend and would be welcome back anytime at Rovers. I have to agree with everything he says there.

When I saw him in cork a while back I reminded him of the time he would'nt let the Rovers players on the "pitch" in bi****stown for a warm up in Feb 1994. He got a good laugh out of that............

2 things that have always bothered me though with Damo. Firstly was the fact that he has never won anything as a manager. When he was with shels he had the best side yet in 98 managed to blow the treble. With us we blew it in dundalk

Secondly he openly advocated wimbledon coming here and despite all the real fans here describing what would happen to our league if they did he never backed down.

Still I would have him in charge of the league in a nanosecond as opposed to the incompetents now.

His response to the tash question is pure quality.

KOH

[wws]

brilliant stuff

well done for making it happen face

quality

keep them coming

suggestions....
Pat Dolan, Brian Kerr, Robbie Robertson for future ones!

[pete]

If this continues with other interviews IMO should have Section on main page.

Will make suggestion to the leader...